Packet networking is a form of data communication in which data packets are routed from a source device to a destination device. Packets can be networked directly between a source node and a destination node, or the packets can be relayed through a number of intermediate nodes.
A wireless network can include a wireless device being connected to a network through a base station that is wired to the network. The wireless device can transmit data packets that are received by the base station and then routed through the network. The wireless network can include many base stations that are each wired to the network. This type of wireless network is limited because it requires wired connection to each base station.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art mesh network. The mesh network includes interconnected access nodes 120, 130. One or more of the access nodes 120, 130 is connected to another network 100 (for example, the internet) through, for example, a gateway 110. A client 140 can connect to the network 100 through the mesh network that includes the access nodes 120, 130 and the gateway 110. Wireless mesh networks are subject to environmental conditions that can influence the quality of transmission between the access nodes. The environmental conditions can include multi-path, interference and transmission signal attenuation.
In wireless networks, different transmission protocols (such as, 802.11) allow the transmission of information at different power levels and data rates. Depending upon the characteristics of the links between the access nodes, some power levels and data rates can be more desirable than others.
In wireless networks, the quality of the links within the mesh network can be asymmetrical. That is, the quality of a link can vary depending upon the direction in which signals are traveling through the link. This can make selecting optimal routes between access nodes harder to identify. Additionally, the quality of the links between the nodes can vary over time.
It is desirable to have a wireless mesh network that can analyze transmission links between access nodes and determine desirable transmission power levels and data rates for each wireless link. It is also desirable that the mesh network be able to determine the quality of routing paths that include the links, through the wireless mesh network, and select an optimal path from among all available routing paths.